1511 Iglehart, S. Paul, Minnesota 55104.
The seventh annual Eagan Steam Threshing Show drew a good sized
crowd of interested people on September 13 and 14, 1975.
The show site is on the George H. Ohmann, Jr. farm which is
northwest of Rosemount, Minnesota, and seven and one-half miles
south of the Mendota Bridge. The show dates turned out to be clear
Show time is threshing time at the Ohmann farms. South of the
show area is the adjoining farm owned by George H. Ohmann, Sr.
Mr. Ohmann’s father purchased this farm and moved onto it
the year George H. Ohmann, Sr. was born. It has been his home ever
since. His son, Marvin, assists him with the farm operation.
Each year two settings of oat stacks are threshed. The yield
runs to hundreds of bushels and is hauled in trucks to galvanized
storage bins located in the show area. After threshing is done, the
straw is baled.
Two 36 inch cylinder threshers, a Minneapolis and a Red River
Special are used for threshing. This year, George H. Ohmann Sr.
‘s 30-60 Aultman and Taylor gas tractor and George Jr.’s 30
HP Minneapolis and his 50 HP Case were used for power. Art Uhl of
Eagan township helped tend the separators. Reuben Boettcher and
Florian C. Karl were engineers on the 30 HP Minneapolis. Jim
Mollenhauer ran the 50 HP Case.
Lumber sawing was in progress with George H. Ohmann, Jr. in
charge. Power was furnished by Art Andersen’s 25 HP Russell
steam engine. Vernon Smith was the engineer assisted by Paul
Haubenschild. Both from the Anderson show.
Lathe sawing and shingle making were demonstrated, and feed
grinding was done, powered by small gas engines.Â
In his machinery collection, George Ohmann, Jr. has seven or
eight grain threshers ranging in size from twenty inch to
twenty-eight inch cylinders.
His gas tractor collection consists of a 39-57 Minneapolis; a
10-20 McCormick Deering; two International F30 tractors; an IHC F20
on steel; a John Deere General Purpose and an IHC TD 40 Crawler
Tractor. He has twenty gas engines from 7 HP down to 1-1/2 HP.
The sawmill was rebuilt in 1974. There is a Howell shingle mill
and a lathe mill, a hand corn sheller and a Hero fanning mill.
Grain binders, mowers, hay tedders, cultivators and other horse
drawn machinery. Also old wagons and sleighs, all add to the
collection.
Alois Vonbank of Jordan, Minnesota brought a drag saw which he
claims is one of the first ones ever built.
Frank Stelter of the Eagan community brought four gasoline
engines. He had two 3 HP John Deere engines; a 1-1/2 HP
Waterloo-Boy and a 1-1/2 HP Fairbanks-Morse.
Betty and Bob Holier of Richfield, Minnesota, members of the
Early Day Gas Engine and Tractor Association, St. Croix Valley,
Branch I, had a George B. Miller 2 HP gas engine, built in 1895.
They do not know whether a Miller Company built this engine or
whether it was built after the company merged with the Waterloo
Company which later merged with John Deere.
Ernest Hubbell of Route 1, Owatonna, Minnesota has a 12-25
Townsend tractor which he says he’ll show next year. A wheat
and oat separator and cleaner was powered by a 2-1/2 HP Nova gas
engine.
A small miniature model Case steamer from the Andersen Museum at
Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, was shown by Mike and Jim Haubenschild
under the watchful eye of their grandfather, Art Andersen.
I know people like to be mentioned but it seems I never get to
see all of the exhibitors and helpers at these shows; but they are
all important and their work is greatly appreciated.
James Stewart and his grandson, Ricky, both of Minnesota City,
Minnesota were interested visitors. Jim had some pictures of his 20
x 42 Bell City thresher, recently purchased, and his Rumely Oil
Pull tractor.
Vic Wenzel of Rosemount brought a 1923 Ford Model T runabout.
Also on exhibit, was a MAC chain drive truck of early 1900’s
vintage.
I met Mr. and Mrs. John Befort and their daughter, Lisa, of
Byron, Minnesota who were interested spectators in the antique cars
and truck exhibit.
David McCullah told me he is a former steam engineer with years
of experience. He mentioned firing four years on a Great Lakes
Package Freighter.
At lunch, I met Mr. and Mrs. Wesley Mensing of St. Paul. He has
had experience threshing. He said his father used to thresh with a
Leader steam engine and a Huber separator.
Charles Fellenz of Ellsworth, Wisconsin, an engineer, has helped
at Beldenville and has attended many shows including Mt. Pleasant,
Iowa, was adding one more to his list at Eagan.
Some of the fellows in attendance from other shows were Mike
Kovic, Wilmer Boettcher, Florian C. Karl and Reuben Boettcher; all
from the Scott-Carver Show, and Vernon Smith, Art Anderson, Paul
Haubenshild and his sons, Mike and Jim, who came to help all from
the ‘Art and Crystal Anderson Steam Show and Museum’ at
Blooming Prairie, Minnesota.
Mike’s Concertina Band played at the show. It’s always a
little sad when any interesting event comes to the end and it’s
time to depart for home. As a small boy, I used to feel sad when
threshing was done at our place and when the steam engine pulled
the separator away from the straw pile, out of the farm yard and on
down the road to the next job.
And even though we may feel a little low when a show ends and we
think how long it will be until next year’s show, we knew this
one would end, and we’re one of the satisfied people who leave
for home.